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Playing Handicap
June 2, 2003
by William Cobb

Self-Paired tournaments don't seem to be very popular. Due to the randomness of who's available when you finish a game at such tournaments, many of the games are high handicap, and perhaps people are reluctant to play high handicap games when their ratings can be affected. Interestingly, the dislike of high handicap games seems to come from both sides. The weaker player feels intimidated by someone who is six or more ranks stronger, and the stronger player is leery of being bested by someone so much weaker. High handicap games are challenging because they require a different strategy from even games. White must try to create as many complications as possible, at the cost of being thin and unsettled everywhere, and Black must strive to play solidly and attack weak white stones at every opportunity. In theory, this means that White has to work a lot harder than Black, but of course White is a lot stronger, so it evens out. Actually, a high handicap game is an interesting challenge for White and can be an exhilarating ride on the wild side. If Black perseveres and wins; well, it's always nice to see a weak player getting stronger. Starting off way ahead and being confronted by all those unfamiliar and unexpected plays is a novel experience for Black, and once you get a taste of the pleasure of watching a weak white group struggle to survive when you've got stones on every side, you relish such games. Even if you lose, it's amazing to see what a strong player can do in difficult situations. High handicap is a lot of fun. You should go to self-paired tournaments just to enjoy another dimension of go.

Past columns by William Cobb are archived at http://www.slateandshell.com/billcobb.asp

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